Electromechanical interlock



Oct- 13 c. NORTON ELECTROMECHANI CAL INTERLOCK ori inal Filed s- 2, 19232 Sheets-Sheet ,1

INVENTOR CMQW/ Nor/0n: BY v ATTORNEY Patented @ct. l3,

CLIFFORD NORTON, F NEW YORK, N. 51., ASSIGNOR T0 GRAI-IAIVT &. NORTONGUINIPANY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ELECTROIVIECHANICAL INTERLOCK.

original application filed August 2, 1923, Serial No. 655,175.

Divided and this application filed January 10, 1925.. Serial- No. 1,569.I

My invention relates to a door closing and opening apparatus of theclass wherein a pair of toggle arms or levers or other devices areemployed for moving a door such as an elevator door or elevator welldoor from open to closed position and vice versa by the use of appliedmanual or other power.

This application is a division of applicants co-pending applicationSerial No. 655,175, filed August 2, 1923.

The invention is designed to provide for the opening and closing of anelevator well door by the use of magnetic means on the car in suchmanner that while the car is running the door operating apparatus willbe locked against operation and whereby the operation of the car byelectric or similar power is rendered impossible when the door has beenopened.

The invention as embodied in the special apparatus herein described isparticularly useful in connection with electric pushbutton systems ofelevator control and operation and the invention will therefore bedescribed as applied to that use.

The invention consists essentially in the combination with the dooropening and closing mechanism of a latch which serves to lock a memberthereof in the door closed position of the parts, a power controllingswitch consisting of a circuit-closer and breaker controlling theapplication of the electric power employed to'move the elevator in anyof the well known ways, and operating means for actuating the latch andswitch simultaneously to free the door opening and closing mechanismwhen the door is to be opened and at the same time renderi-ng itimpossible to move the elevator car, said operating means being operablefrom the car when it is at a landing through the operation of a devicemagnetically controlled on the car.

lift

The invention consistsalso in the par ticular combinations of devicesand details of construction hereinafter more particular ly described andthen specified in the claim.

Fig. 1 is a general side elevation of the door operating mechanism,latch and switch in one of the forms that my invention may take.

Fig. 2 is an edge .view of the same and shows in addition the means onthe car employed in combination therewith, the car being shown with itsfloor level with the landing floor.

Fig. 3 shows in detail the toggle arm catch and the actuating switch inenlarged view.

1 indicates an elevator well door which 'may be of the sliding type. Thedoor closnected together as at 3 and as well understood in the art. Thelevers of the toggle arm system may be arranged with relation to oneanother sons to permit the joint of the toggle to be broken by movingthe door, or they may be so arranged with relation to one another thatthe arms will lie in the same line intersecting'the toggle joint and sothat they will in effect operate to lock the door against movement by anextraneous force applied to the door and until the toggle is broken bypower applied to one ofthe members thereof. It is therefore to be understood that the toggle may be operated in any of the ways wellunderstood in the art. i

As indicated,a handle i may be provided to break the toggle for thepurpose of open ing the door or said toggle may be operated by means ofa cylinder connected there with as well understood in the art. lln thecase of the latter device the power may be normal position shown.

pneumatic or other power or may be power stored in a spring acting on apiston within the cylinder 5 when the handle 4 or other device is usedto apply power in the opening of the door.

The device here shown is of the general type described in the NortonPatent No. 1,124,941, dated January 12, 1915, embody ing in addition tothe spring a suitable liquid check or dashpot at its lower end whichcomes into action when the spring operates to close the door. The device5, however, is to be understood as being merely illustrative of anymeans for applying pneumatic or other power in the opening or closingmovement or both, said device being suitably connected to the lever arm2 by a pivota-l or other connection.

Applied to some part of the door opening and closing mechanism, as forinstance, to an arm 2 of the toggle, is a catch or locking deviceindicated at 7 and shown for illustration as a latch or lever. Saidlatch is pivotally mounted at 8 on a fixed support such as the wallofthe elevator shaft or studding and at its free end is a locking shoulder7' adapted to rest upon and lockingly engage a stud or arm 8' carried bythe toggle arm 2. Obviously said latch operates to prevent the arm 2from swinging upward in the arc of a circle which it must do in orderthat the toggle may carry the door 1 back from the closed positionindicated in Fig. 1 and in the direction of the arrow 9 in order to openthe door. Gravity or a spring may serve to normally hold or assist inholding the lockin catch 7 in the en, however, said catch is raised tofree the arm-2' the latter may swing upwardly in the door openingmovement.

29 indicates the casing of an interlockin switch of any desired type orform applie to act on an operating or controlling circuit of the motivepower by which the car is moved in such a manner that in one position ofthe switch -the car may be moved by manual or automatic control while inthe other position the apparatus is rendered inoperative to move thecar. ;The manner of connecting a switch having this function into thecircuits is well understood in the art and need not be furtherparticularly described. Circuit wires for said switch are indicated at10, 10'. The operating member of said switch, which member may be of anydesired form or form suited to the type of switch employed, is indicatedat 12.

In the present instance I have shown my invention as carried out by theuse of a type of switch substantially like that de-.

scribed in my application for patent filed February 2, 1923, Serial No.616,485, and having two spring-pressed circuit closing members 11, 11which normally tend to engage one another and close the circuit of 10,10. A reciprocating bar or block of insulating material like bakeli-teor other suitable material c'onstitutes the operating member 12 and ismounted in position between the circuit closing arms 11, 11 and isadapted to be forced between and separate said arms to break thecircuit. In the nor mal position or circuit closing position said blockor bar 12 occupies the position indicated in full lines in Fig. 3. Saidblock or other operating member of the switch is attached to link 12'and said link is preferably joined to the latch or an arm 14 extendingtherefrom by means adjustable if desired longitudinally to adjust thethrow of the parts as indicated at 13. When it is desired to operate thetoggle arms to open the door it is necessary to lift the latch 7 and inso doing the switch is operated to break the interlocking controlcircuit, thereby stopping or rendering it impossible to further operatethe car by its motive power. A bar or rod 6 suitably guided and workingvertically in guides on the side of the elevator well openingoperatively engages with the latch and power controlllng switch in anydesired way as for instance by means of a toe or head 6* adapted toengage and lift the latch when the rod is lifted. The switch may besimultaneously operated through any suitable means, as for instance theinter-connecting link 12 between the switch and the latch alreadyreferred to.

The bar 6 may be lifted by means of the bell crank lever 17 thehorizontal member of which is connected to the bar while the dependingvertical member thereof protrudes into position to be thrust sidewise bythe cam or actuator 15 having a vertically elongated engaging surfaceadapted to be thrust sidewise against the vertical arm of the bell crankwhen the car is level with the landing, said actuating member beingproperly mounted and guided on the car. The position of said actuatingmember 15 is controlled by magnetic means on the car con sisting, forinstance, of an electric motor 25 which, when energized, operates a drum26 which winds'up a cord or chain connected with the cam and with a rod27 that in the winding movement stores power in a compressible spring28, as clearly indicated. While the magnetic device is energized the cam15 is held retracted or in ino rative position but whenthe car reaches te floor level a change of circuit condition, autosidewise thereby,through the intermediate devices already described, bringing aboutslmultaneous operation of the latch and of the power controlling switchso that the door operating mechanism is free from the action of thelatch and the door may then be opened.

In this movement the pin or dog 8' moves under and supports the latch sothat it may not drop back into locking position until the door is againclosed. The action of freein the latch, however, is accompanied by simtaneous action on the interlocking switch that, beingjthrown, operatesas before described to render the movement of the elevator away from thelanding impossible, it being now im ossi'ble to apply the motive powerto the e evator.

When howeverv it is desired or permissible to move the car away from thelanding, the magnetic device 25 is energized thus withdrawing theoperating 'cam or member 15 from engagement with the bell crank so thatthe bar 6 or other operating member acting on the latch and switch maydrop. This allows the latch 7 and the interlocking or power controllingswitch to resume normal position on closure ofthe door, the operatingmechanism therefor being thereafter locked and held until again freed bythe action of the cam device 15 operating to raise the latch.

As will be seen, the ofiice of the electric motor 25 which is normallenergized while the car is moving, is' tohold the cam-or other operatingdevice in inoperative position by electromagnetic action and to freethesame for operation by the spring or other device when the car vis at theselected landing, through interruption of the cha'rgin circuit of theelectromagnet by any desire means, automatic or otherwise, the meansusually employed in the operatio'lli ofa push-button system of elevatorcontro A It is-to be understood that. the structure disclosed is merelyillustrative and that the applicant is entitled to equivalents sodong.as they fall Within the scope of the subjectmatter claimed. 7 j

What I claim as my invention is 1-- The combination with door openingand closing mechanism adapted to be controlled from an elevator car, ofalatch engaging and holding a member thereoffin door-clos i position,operating 'means or operatin siii d latch to free said mechanism, saimeans including a cam slidably supported for: right line movementtransverse to the path of'movement of said car, spring means or movingsaid cam into position to free said latch, a rotary electric motor, acom necting member for operativel joining said cam and motorwhe'rebysaid draw said cam latch.

. Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New Yorkthis 9th day of January A, D. 1925. Y

a CLIFFORD-NORTON.-

motor may. directly away from said as for instance by

